Fete De La Brebis Brigasque 2025Fete De La Brebis Brigasque 2025
©Fete De La Brebis Brigasque 2025

The Brigasque sheep festival in La Brigue

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In La Brigue Fill up on tradition!

Join us for the Fête de la Brebis Brigasque, where pastoral skills come to life in a warm and festive atmosphere! Every autumn, La Brigue celebrates the famous ewe with a programme packed with discoveries (and treats!): herd parades, craft demonstrations and tastings of local produce. It’s an unmissable opportunity to immerse yourself in the heart of the mountain heritage and savour the authenticity of the Roya Valley!

👉 2025 programme coming soon!

🎉 See you on 19 October 2025


🕐 Free admission from 10am to 6pm
€ Free entertainment

On the programme:

The day of the Fête de la Brebis Brigasque in La Brigue is punctuated by a multitude of activities celebrating local traditions. Here’s the programme for your festive immersion in the heart of mountain heritage:

  • Herd parades through the village streets at 3pm
  • Traditional cheese-making
  • Markets brimming with local products to sample, such as ewe’s milk cheese and honey
  • Wool working by passionate craftsmen
  • Musical entertainment
  • Entertainment for children
  • Stands for lunch
  • Exhibitions and meetings with farmers

Mark your calendars!

Practical information :

  • Access: By car, by bus line 25 from Menton bus station, or by train (Trenitalia) from Ventimiglia towards Cuneo and stop at La Brigue.
    TER/ZOU provides 3 return coaches between Nice – Breil and La Brigue (at preferential rates), details here.
    Bus stops at the entrance to the village.
  • Parking : Free parking and shuttle bus
  • ATM: the nearest is in Breil-sur-Roya
  • Access to Notre Dame des Fontaines from 10am to 1.30pm, closing time 2pm.

To make the most of the day, use public transport and car-share (parking spaces are limited)!

©Drone de Regard
    MAD JACQUES ALLIER 23MAD JACQUES ALLIER 23
    ©MAD JACQUES ALLIER 23|ALEXANDRE LEROY

      📚 A little history…

      The Fête de la Brebis Brigasque was born in 2009 out of a desire to safeguard this emblematic sheep breed of the Roya Valley… which was on the verge of extinction at the time. This annual event, held every autumn in La Brigue, has rapidly grown in popularity. It has even become a flagship event for local residents and lovers of mountain heritage!

      Originally created to highlight the Brigasque ewe and support local breeders, the festival now symbolises the revival of traditional skills, bringing together old and new to the area to preserve the region’s cultural identity.

      Did you know?

      Expect to see over 300 ewes and goats in the streets of the old village of La Brigue.

      An event that attracts no fewer than 5,000 people!

      🐑 The Brigasque ewe :

      WHO IS IT?

      The Brigasque ewe is a hardy breed, typical of the mountains of the Roya Valley. A great walker, it is perfectly adapted to steep terrain and harsh weather conditions! With its thick fleece and mottled coat, it stands out for its robustness and ability to produce high-quality milk, used to make local cheeses such as sora and toma. Threatened with extinction, the Brigasque ewe is now a living symbol of the region’s pastoral heritage, preserved thanks to the joint efforts of local breeders and enthusiasts.

        Brigascan ewesBrigascan ewes
        ©Brigascan ewes
          ©Pango Visual

            😋 When sheep make cheese

            Brigasque ewe’s milk cheeses are gastronomic treasures that reflect the ancestral know-how of the Roya Valley. They include:

            🧀 La “sora”: a local speciality, made from raw sheep’s milk, pressed and matured with care to develop rich, flavoursome aromas.

            🧀 The “toma”: often blended with goat’s milk, offers a softer texture and a delicately fruity flavour.

            🧀 Brus: a local ricotta, can be enjoyed fresh or after maturing to give it a stronger flavour. These cheeses, from the Brigasque breed, are the authentic expression of the land and mountain traditions.

            🧶 Take a detour to Tende to discover wool

            The wool of the Brigasque ewe is a precious heritage from the mountain traditions of the Roya Valley! Once essential for making warm clothes and mattresses, this thick, naturally insulating wool has long been used to make rugs and other handicrafts. Today, despite competition from synthetic materials, Brigasque wool is enjoying a renaissance thanks to local initiatives! The idea? To promote this sustainable and authentic material. And yes, each fibre embodies the deep bond between man and mountain… reminding us of the importance of preserving these ancestral skills!

            And don’t forget to visit La Fée Capeline in Tende, which is open all year round. It’s THE place to go to discover wool felting!

            Fete Paysanne Et Des Bergers De La St Roch A Tende Bernard GiustoFete Paysanne Et Des Bergers De La St Roch A Tende Bernard Giusto
            ©Fete Paysanne Et Des Bergers De La St Roch A Tende Bernard Giusto
              ©Pango Visual
                To reach the Roya Valley
                • Access Roya

                  The Roya Valley and its villages await you! Road access has been redeveloped. The Col de Tende tunnel has been reopened, find out more here.

                  The train des merveilles railway line is currently undergoing work. Only the train from Ventimiglia to Tende is running.

                  Access to the Roya Valley

                Escape

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